I’m kind of in love with Thao Nguyen. Her music is charming and delightful, her performances are enthralling, and her personality is, reportedly, both sweet and goofy – the two characteristics I’m most a sucker for. So when I hit Chop Suey for the Hotel Cafe Tour Saturday night, I was mostly there to see her. I knew there were four other artists (Rachel Yamagata, Meiko, Lenka, and Emily Wells) sharing the bill with Thao, but I wasn’t familiar with any of them, and I hoped that at least they wouldn’t annoy me too much.
The Hotel Cafe Tour has been around, in different incarnations, since 2005, but this was the first time I’d caught it. Shows on the tour are structured a little differently than most: at Saturday’s show, each of the artists took turns playing two songs, then came back for another round of three or four songs each. With the backing band remaining consistent, the music was able to proceed continuously for the duration of the evening. In addition, the artists regularly took the stage between their own sets to accompany the other performers. It was quite a change from the four-bands three-breaks format that patrons of Seattle clubs are used to — and the change was a refreshing one.
Gone were the mad rushes to the bar during stage changes, the stretches of awkward milling and repeated-checking-of-phone that those who have come alone use to stave off boredom. The quick and repeated changes of cast and pace kept everyone’s interest with the music, and the bar? Well, they probably didn’t do as well as usual — once the show started, there was rarely a wait to get a drink.
And as for the “hopefully not too boring” ladies on stage? Well, I needn’t have worried. My favorite of the night was Emily Wells, one of the most truly eclectic performers I’ve ever seen. Performing live vocals and violin over prerecorded samples of rock, hip hop, and her own violiln playing, Wells combines at least four genres into something truly delightful. Her voice has a rich, cello-like quality, but also lilts into Bjork-esque upper ranges at times. Wells calls many of her songs “symphones,” and I won’t argue: they’re complex and interlocking enough to warrant the name.
WATCH: Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well & the Requiem Mix (LIVE)
Rachel Yamagata was another pleasant surprise. When she walked on stage, I never would have guessed that the small woman in the shiny gold dress would have a voice like whiskey and cigarettes, a voice that could stop your heart or kick your ass. Yamagata is both entrancing and intimidating; when she sings “Please sir don’t you walk away / Don’t you walk away,” you know you woudn’t dare. Both her voice and appearance remind me of Grace Potter — dare I dream to see these two on the same bill?
WATCH: Rachel Yamagata – be be your love
Finishing the bill were a pair of one-named pop performers, Lenka and Meiko, neither of whom blew me away. There wasn’t anything really wrong with either one, but against the distinctive talents of Thao, Emily Wells, and Rachel Yamagata, Meiko and Lenka’s cute-but-run-of-the-mill pop just didn’t stand out. Conversely, I think these two probably have the best chances of achieving mainstream success.
And Thao? I’m going to take her off to Canada and marry her. On our honeymoon, she’ll teach me to beatbox.
WATCH: Thao and the Get Down Stay Down – “Bag of Hammers”